Trail-running start-up chooses bio-based Dyneema for launch product
A newcomer to the trail running shoe market, Norda, is launching its brand with the first seamless trail running shoe made with bio-based Dyneema fibre.
Co-founders Willamina and Nick Martire have set up Montreal-based Norda because, they have said, the grew tired of running in trail shoes that were “just good”. In their quest to go beyond “just good”, they spent two years trying out prototypes in the often cold and wet conditions of eastern Quebec before launching the brand in summer 2021.
Flagship product, Norda001, uses bio-based Dyneema fibre in a seamless upper. The fibre is engineered at the molecular level to provide high strength and low weight, as well as waterproof and breathable properties.
In addition, Royal DSM, the producer of Dyneema, has said that the fibres help provide increased foot stability and wearer comfort. This version of the fibre is sourced from renewable, bio-based feedstock.
Ethylene is the primary raw material that DSM uses to manufacture Dyneema fibres. For bio-based Dyneema fibre, 100% of this feedstock is from renewable sources and the company insists there is no compromise on performance, while the carbon footprint of bio-based Dyneema is 90% lower than that of generic high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fibres.
